Taylor Hicks, the singer-actor touring with 'Greas

Taylor Hicks, the singer-actor touring with 'Grease'

June 4, 2009


When Taylor Hicks signed on to play the part of Teen Angel in a Broadway revival of "Grease" last summer, fans of the 2006 "American Idol" winner helped make the show a surprise hit.

Since then, the gray-haired performer has toured with "Grease" nonstop, and he arrives in Detroit on Tuesday for a three-week stint at the Fisher Theatre. The angel role, played previously by everyone from Chubby Checker to Davy Jones, has become a showcase for the 32-year-old Hicks, who performs a harmonica-backed medley of "Grease" tunes at the end of the show.

Hicks is also promoting his second post-"Idol" CD, "The Distance," released on his own Modern Whomp record label this spring. On off nights during the "Grease" tour, he has been performing in small, intimate venues, and he'll take the stage June 22 for a show at the Magic Bag in Ferndale. It's a must-see for rabid fans who have dubbed themselves the Soul Patrol.

QUESTION: Fantasia. Clay Aiken. Even Flint-born LaKisha Jones. The list is long of "American Idol" stars who have graduated to the Broadway stage. Do you see this as the next logical step?

ANSWER: Never in a million years would I have thought I would be on the Broadway stage. I was never more nervous about anything in my whole life. ... The role is actually an introductory role from an observatory standpoint, which means that you can actually observe what Broadway theater is like from a small but flashy part.

What's great about this role is that Teen Angel is a character in the show, but he's also an artist. ... I can be Teen Angel but I can also be Taylor Hicks, so the part is really tailor-made, no pun intended.


Q: Because your music is so blues- and soul-influenced, are you excited about visiting the home of Motown, especially with all the hoopla about the label's 50th anniversary?

A: Of course I'm excited. I've never been to Motown before, so I want to get over there and see it (the Motown Museum). ... You know, I got to really talk to Smokey Robinson for an extended amount of time a couple of times, and he just reminded me that the songwriting is the key. The songs that you put on your record you'll have to live with for the rest of your life. That was really good advice. He told me that it took a lot of hard work to stay relevant in the business.

Q: What can we expect from the Magic Bag show?

A: We've done it in almost every city. Being able to do a show with some of the members of my band, it's just a great way and a very cutting-edge and unique way to see the country and experience fans new and old.

My fans have seen me on grand stages in big theaters. This is a more intimate setting, more of an acoustic setting. It's a nice way to learn and be able to digest the new music off the record in a live setting. Then when I'm ready to launch a significant tour, I'll have had a two-year setup time for the record.

Q: With a tour that started last year and could extend well into next, where do you hang your hat? Do you call any place home?

A: Not right now. I've been on the road since February of 2005. If you look over a time period, look over any entertainer and what they've done, especially ones that have had significant success and are legendary, for that matter, they toured. They were out with the people. That was the one common thread that they had. You've got to be with the people.

Q: I know you're interested in making movies. Would you ever dye your trademark gray hair if the right part called for it?

A: It could be a possibility. (Wink, wink). You never know.

By John Monaghan, Free Press special writer

http://www.freep.com/article/20090604/ENT0...g+with++Grease+

ACK!!!! Color his beautiful mane of silver-gray hair???

~sigh~ If it meant a great movie role for him I guess I could handle it. After all it would still be our guy Taylor, just a different hair color.

I don't know??? Taylor with out the silver, it would have to be one heck of a part in a movie to make it worth it.. Heck my dark brown hair has a couple of silver streaks in it and I've thought about coloring them but thought cuz I mean gee Taylor's hair looks good on him, maybe it'll look good on me too...

I'll take him any which way he decides to go :) ...he'd be gorgeous no matter what! besides, I like to look at his eyes and smile anyway....!

brootsie wrote:

I'll take him any which way he decides to go :) ...he'd be gorgeous no matter what! besides, I like to look at his eyes and smile anyway....!

You got that right Tammy. Those eyes are so beautiful and that smile....